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June 20, 2008
Creating a Podcast
Podcasting is a way to distribute and share media files over the Internet. But how do you create one? This article will tell you how to make your own podcast.
The first thing you need is a domain name. This will provide your subscribers the location where they can get your media files. Try to select a name that is easy to remember and tells the type of podcast you are publishing. Register your domain name through a domain registrar, such as eNom and GoDaddy.
The next one that you will need is a web host. Again, there are several companies that you can go to, like Host Gator and StartLogic. When looking for a web host, be sure to consider getting a big disk space since you will be storing a large amount of media files. For example, a 2-minute mp3 file may be 2 MB in size. Many web hosting companies offer several GB in disk space at very low monthly fees.
Aside from the disk space, also consider the amount of bandwidth the company is offering. This is the amount of data that can be transferred to and from your host every month. Since you will have large data files, having just a few subscribers can use up all your bandwidth in a matter of days. 10 - 100 GB of bandwidth may be enough, but be sure to increase this once you get a lot of subscribers.
Once you have selected your web hosting company, you will be given name servers, which you will later apply to your domain name. To complete the setup of your site, you input the name servers into the site where you have registered your domain name. Now, your site can be found on the Internet.
After completing your site setup, search the Internet and download a program called dircaster.php. Configure this program to reflect the details of your domain. Then, upload this program to your site.
Next step is to record the media file, called an episode, that you will podcast. One software that you can use is Audacity, from audacity.sourceforge.net. This is a free, open source software to record and edit sounds. Record your episode from a microphone, a CD, the computer's sound card, or even a VOIP conversation. Edit the file, such as mixing tracks (voice and music), cut segments, or add segments. You also should be adding tags and descriptions on your episode.
Upload this media file in the same directory as the dircaster.php. The dircaster will then generate a RSS feed telling your subscribers about the new file that they can download.
Creating a podcast is simple and cheap. The software needed are free and downloadable in the Internet. If you have something to share, podcasting is a great way to provide your information to the Internet.
Posted by billenross at June 20, 2008 09:30 AM
